weight question

[ash]

Hi everyone

My weight is optimum for my height and age, however i still have a little fat on my abs and thighs. I have recently started pranayaama and yoga..

Can you please suggest some good yoga posture for reducing thighs and achieveing flat abs ?

Thanks

[damaru]

sitting forward bend, and standing backward bend. The first to help the internal organ to stay in, and the later to strenghten muscle to the lower back and stomach area.

One exercise I find really helpfull for making nice belly, is to try to write a line as far up as possible with one hand and then the other hand on the wall. It will stretch the whole body really gently, and also correct the posture.

I say that because a lot of time it's not so much the fat of the belly that we see but simply the posture that make the internal organ come out a little. If you do this exercise everyday, you will draw line on the wall a little higher everytime and you will gain few inches of height and it will probably help you position (and belly)

light

[ash]

Hey

By "Sitting forward bend" you mean the CHild pose or Balasana ? and the standing backward, you mean the Half Moon pose or ardha chandra asana ?

I liked your idea of writing a line on wall, that wud be good, so if i have understood you, you mean with my right hand i write on the right side and with my left hand i write on the left side, while standing at one point ?

After doing Kapalbhati pranayaama, i feel really good, light and the stomach muscles feel tightened, However i have difficulty doing the Anulom Vilom pranayaama, i know it is very important do this as well, but i have Sinus which disrupts the whole activity...

I completely agree with you, that the belly fat shows up cos of the the wrong pose, cos when i stand up the fat doesnt come out...

[damaru]

Paschimothasana, the standard sitting forward bend. For the back bend, simply standing up and bending your body backward (like in the sun salutation) or use the Ustrasana.

I like kapalabhati as well, if you have problem with the alternat nostril breathing you can use a neti pot to clean your sinus. Also if you gently press slingtly over the cheek bone you can help the breathing. One thing I find really to work on the energetic body level is to breath trought both nostril (or whatever you can) and do the alternate in your head. Breath in fell the right side of your body, hold, breath out feel the left side of your body, breath in keep feeling the right side, hold, breath out feel the left side.

This will help balance your prana, even if you can't breath trough one nostril or the other.

Make sure to always be aware of what you are practincing and the effect it haas on your life. If you start a new practice, make sure you take note and observe the effect it has on you, on your mood and energy. I don't know what is your level of practice, nor if a teacher is helping you, but in any case, for me it's really important to keep a journal of any practice, and make sure all we do is to explore and enjoy ourselves

light

[ash]

I totally agree with you, one should notice which thing has what effect on you..

I, like many Indians watch Swami Ramdev Ji maharaj On TV or Internet and have learnt things from him only...

According to others i'm thin but i myself dont feel so, i do other work out as well... but everybody told me that i was getting obsessed with the being in shape thing... so I thought i'll start Pranayaama and yoga... i've been doing i from 2-3 months and find it really good and i feel good too...

I like Bahya pranayaama too and unlike other people... i find it quite easy and feel great afterwards... but still practicing on anulom vilom...

[Nichole]

Originally Posted by ash

Hi everyone

My weight is optimum for my height and age, however i still have a little fat on my abs and thighs. I have recently started pranayaama and yoga..

Can you please suggest some good yoga posture for reducing thighs and achieveing flat abs ?

Thanks

If your goal is to reduce inches on your thighs and around your middle, you will be better served doing something other than yogasana. I have not seen Yogasana alone produce even a moderate reduction in body fat composition. I have seen clients change their BMI and body proportions by using Ayurvedic diet, Pancha Karma, meditation, pranayama, and yogasana as a complete practice. Yogasana can tone your muscles, but like you may already know for yourself, you may not see the definition because of the fatty layer which is lays on top of the muscle. Body fat gain and loss, especially for women, is determined by many, many influences; it is not a simple matter of few good yoga postures.
Are you doing other practices and cleansing, Yogic or other, that are currently working for you and you are wanting to add to it? Please tell us what you are already doing that works? What you are doing that doesn't work?

[ash]

Hi Nichole

I know you are quite senior to me and i'm quite new to Yoga, but I do not agree with you on the fact that Yoga cannot help a person lose fat or inches...

I have seen Obese people losing fat and inches over a period of time... in fact an aquantaince of mine lost 7-8 kgs doing pranayaam, she was very fat... and today she is quite thin, she eats a lot but her metabolism is so damn good, that it doesnt affect her much and fat doesnt stay in the body...

with Yoga you need patience, but an intense hour of pranayaam cmbined with yogasana can burn as much as 600 calories...

I have been doing gym workouts from 2-3 years... but as the age increases (i'm 25 and i weigh 111 pounds, but i'm 5.2") i guess i need to divert my self to yoga so as to relieve my stress and overall wellness...I completely agree with you that in women weght gain or loss depends on many many factors... i guess factors of weight gain increase as the age increases and lifestyle is a major player here...

I want to be Slim, but also dont want to put myself to any risk, cos i do plan to concieve, if not rite now then sometime later. Eating right also plays an important part in that... and i guess combining light workouts and yoga i can achieve that.

what do you say ?

[Nichole]

Dear Ash,
It is absolutely OK to disagree with what I shared here. As I stated, I share only what I have seen with clients and students and what I have been taught by my blessed teachers. If it is useful to you, very good. If it is not, very good too. It is important to have discussion about the things that matter to us.

I would like to make a request of you, if you are going to paraphrase me, I ask that you please use more care. I choose my words very carefully because so much is lost while typing onto these forum pages. I need to be clear that I did not say that Yoga cannot help a person loose fat or inches as you stated. This is what I said:

Originally Posted by Nichole

If your goal is to reduce inches on your thighs and around your middle, you will be better served doing something other than yogasana. I have not seen Yogasana alone produce even a moderate reduction in body fat composition.

Yogasana is not Yoga. Yoga is state of being and not an asana that you model your body into, although Yoga can occur in Yogasana if that is your appropriate path.

You offered your friend was doing pranayama and has also lost mass and inches, this is not the sames as

Originally Posted by ash

Can you please suggest some good yoga posture for reducing thighs and achieveing flat abs ?

and this what you requested and what I spoke directly to. I do not know the details of your friend or her practices, but for me correlation between pranayama and her weight change is just that, correlation, and not necessarily causation.

I hope that you will consider that achieving the burn of 600 calories will not serve your weight-loss goals if you are making yourself pitta provoked and your mind rajastic in your efforts. Often the weight just becomes more stubborn.

I offered you what I can already. I wish you the best in finding what works for you. I am sure other members would love to hear what works for you too so maybe you'll share that here as well.

Namaste,

[justwannabe]

ash from my personal experience
I am 5,9
I have weighed 175 lbs and a few years back I was what many people would consider ripped, not hugely muscular but very well defined. At that time I still had some "extra" on the mid section. I surfed everyday for seven weeks straight that summer, ate fairly healthy but still had "extra"
I weigh 150 lbs today, not as muscular as I used to be yet I can still do 15 pull ups. I would consider myself fit, I eat much more healthy then I used to, but guess what I still have, "extra" in that section

my point is, at this stage in my life I feel that I understand myself enough to know that for me to try and loose that "extra" would be a waste of my time, I would spin my wheels and spend too much time trying to change something I dont think my body was meant to change

take care
seeker

[Pandara]

Dear Ash,

I say this with great love, but be careful not to be too body conscious, it will achieve just the opposite of what yoga is intended for. Yes, we have to keep our vehicle in good order in order for us to perform our duties, but remember you not just your body.